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The Aenar
In The Romulan interference '' |image= |series= |production=40358-090 (414) |producer(s)= |story= Manny Coto |script= André Bormanis |director= Mike Vejar |imdbref=tt0572246 |guests=Jeffrey Combs as Commander Shran, Alexandra Lydon as Jhamel, Brian Thompson as Admiral Valdore, Geno Silva as Senator Vrax, Alicia Adams as Lissan and Scott Allen Rinker as Gareb |previous_production=United |next_production=Affliction |episode=ENT S04E14 |airdate=11 February 2005 |previous_release=United |next_release=Affliction |story_date(s)= November 2154 |previous_story=United |next_story=Affliction }} Summary Senator Vrax, fresh from the Romulan Senate, is disappointed that Admiral Valadore and scientist Nijil's drone program has failed to provoke a rift between Human, Andorian and Tellarite races as they had hoped. In fact, the opposite has happened, political discord throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants has declined. Now that a second drone vessel is ready to be launched, Valadore suggests a mission against the Enterprise in order to impress the Senate. Nijil argues that the pilot requires time to recover from his previous exertions, but Valadore insists and prioritizes the mission. On Enterprise, analysis of data gathered in the previous encounter with the Romulan ship reveals that the ship is being piloted telepathically by an Andorian. Commander Shran explains that the data indicates that the pilot is probably a member of the Aenar, a white-skinned and blind Andorian sub-race. This, however, seems unlikely, since the Aenar are few in number, reclusive pacifists, and inhabitants of the isolated extreme northern polar region of their moon. Shran and Captain Jonathan Archer then beam down to contact the Aenar. The Aenar's spokesperson, Lissan, initially declines to assist as the Aenar do not want to get involved in a war. However, a young Aenar named Jhamel decides to help, since doing so may help locate Gareb, her missing brother. Meanwhile, Doctor Phlox, Commander T'Pol , and Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III work in Sickbay on their own "telepresence" unit to help counter the drone ship. T'Pol volunteers to test it, and a concerned Tucker finds it increasingly difficult to balance his duties and emotions. Jhamel then tests the unit, with better results. Later, when the drone ships reappear and attack, she is able to contact the drone pilot, and it is indeed her long-lost brother, who was tricked into working with the Romulans. Learning the deception of his "helpers", he turns the drones on each other and both are soon destroyed, and Valadore angrily kills him in retribution. With the threat resolved, the Andorians depart Enterprise and Tucker requests to leave the ship to join the Columbia. Errors and Explanations Plot holes # The Aenar are blind and would have no use for light, even under ground, yet they have plenty of lamps in their dwellings. They probably sense the infra red part of the light to navigate their living areas. # When Gareb is making the two drones attack each other, they are maneuvering through space in traditional "dogfight" fashion. But Gareb is controlling both ships, so there is absolutely no reason they should be maneuvering at all. The drones may be fitted with automatic evasive maneuver equipment. Nit Central # The Undesirable Element on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 7:54 pm How in the world did life evolve on a planet that only gets above freezing whenever a freak heat wave occurs? LUIGI NOVI on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm: If ever you see programs on the future of space exploration, TUE, you’ll see that our scientists are very hopeful that they’ll find life on other planets that appear to have inhospitable habitats, like Mars, or the under the ice on the frozen moons of Jupiter. What you hear over and over is that life has been found to thrive in totally inhospitable environments, even here on our planet, like around thermal vents deep on the ocean floor, where there is no oxygen or sunlight. You should see the trailer for the upcoming James Cameron film, Aliens of the Deep. Hell, you can watch it here. # One of the primary points of "Similitude" was that Enterprise NEEDS Trip. Once again Archer claims that he NEEDS Trip on board. Is this guy really so darn special? It's not like Enterprise is an alien vessel or something. Trip's only an engineer, not a God. Granted, he is experienced and valuable to the crew, but wouldn't Trip be NEEDED on the Columbia more than the Enterprise? LUIGI NOVI on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm: Maybe. It’s subjective, I think. Enterprise is the flagship, and so it needs the best. Archer may also have been allowing some personal feelings to color his statement. I also think the crew’s limited resources during the Xindi arc made the statement in Similitude more apt. # Shran mentions that at a young age he fell into a nest of those heat-worms and received third-degree burns over most of his body. Those Andorian plastic surgeons are pretty darn remarkable. Third degree burns on most of Shran's body should have left him SEVERELY deformed. Or perhaps he IS deformed under his uniform. (Hmmm... maybe that's why he's so agressive... compensating for something. :) ) LUIGI NOVI on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm: With the medicine of the 2150’s, why couldn’t third-degree burns on more than half of someone’s body be healed? # Why is Shran the only person that stays on Enterprise to help with the search? The Romulans are clearly a threat to the Tellarites as well. Why didn't Gral or an associate of his stay aboard? LUIGI NOVI on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm: What difference would it make? More ships, I could understand, but more people on the same ship? It’s not like they’re searching by sticking their heads out of the portholes and looking around, and that more heads equals a better search. :) Cybermortis on Sunday, May 04, 2008 - 2:05 pm: Gral and his part are diplomats, Shran is a trained and experienced military officer. Which do you think would be more helpful in a fight? # After travelling in a big circle in the ice caves, the holo-Aenar appears. Then after being convinced of the Aenar-girl's intentions, she disappears and the exit appears. Can anyone make sense of what happened there? If they had continued going forward, wouldn't they have ended up outside? LUIGI NOVI on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm: They weren’t going to travel forward, because Lissan put up a telepathic illusion of a wall. She was doing this to force them into circles. # Can anyone explain to me why a word pronounced "EE-nar" is spelled with an "A" at the beginning? Of course, I haven't figured out why Brett Favre's name is spelled the way it is either. LUIGI NOVI on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm: For the same reason the Klingon Homeworld, pronounced “kronos,” is spelled with a “q” and apostrophes. Notes Category:EpisodesCategory:Enterprise